Thai Fed Cup players stun Uzbeks 3-0
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Tamarine Tanasugarn defeated Akgul Amanmuradova 7-5, 6-1.
Fifth-seeded Thailand stunned second-ranked Uzbekistan 3-0 in their opening match of the Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group 1 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia yesterday.
Thailand's No 2 Suchanun Virat-prasert beat Sabina Sharipova 6-2, 6-2, and Thailand's top player Tamarine Tanasugarn defeated Akgul Amanmuradova 7-5, 6-1 in the singles.
Nudnida Luangnam and Varatchaya Wongtienchai edged past Albina Khabibulina and Nigina Abduraimova 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 in the doubles.
The other two teams in Group B are Taiwan and Kazakhstan who will meet Thailand today. Group A comprises Japan, New Zealand, Indonesia and South Korea.
"I am very happy to win the opening rubber. We are underdogs against Kazakhstan and Taiwan but I am confident we can beat them," said Suchanun.
Tamarine said both teams had trouble playing in the hot weather. She warned that Kazakhstan would be a tough opponent led by world No 48 Yaroslava Shvedova who partnered Tamarine in last year's Pattaya Open.